This is the launch screening of About a War, a documentary film by Daniele Rugo and Abi Weaver, that moves through personal testimonies to build a multi perspective picture of motivations, trauma and regret following the Lebanese Civil War.
The screening, which is funded by the Politics of Culture and Memory Cluster in The Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies will be followed by a Q&A session with the directors.
Through rare archive footage and personal accounts of ex-fighters from the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), this character driven documentary explores the tensions between individual choice and sectarian violence in the Middle East.
The Lebanese Civil War saw 170,000 dead, 1 million displaced and 17,000 people still missing. During the conflict, thousands of teenagers picked up arms to fight in a 15-year war that tore the nation apart. In 1990, the Taif agreement brought the war to a close, integrating warring parties into a power sharing government. With an amnesty pardoning all crimes against civilians and no plans to reintegrate militiamen back into society, many fighters became anonymous, silent and were left to disappear into a society ravaged by internal strife.
The event is free and open to all. Some tea, coffee and cake will also be available. Registration is required.
Speaker profiles
Daniele Rugo is a filmmaker and Senior Lecturer in Film at Brunel University, London. He is an affiliate of the Centre for Lebanese Studies and has been an associate of the American University of Beirut. He is the author of two feature-length documentaries and his publication include Philosophy and the Patience of Film (2016) and James Benning's Environments (2018).
Abi Weaver is a British Academy Television Award winning producer and director who has worked across a range of visual media from independent feature documentaries and online shorts through to programming for major UK broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5). She has been funded by Techne and Arts and Humanities Research Council UK to undertake a PhD at the University of Surrey.
Accessibility
Lift access is available at this venue.